Toy playhouse with changeable inserts



Sept. 16, 1969 Y TOY PLAYHOUSE WITH CHANGEABLE INSERTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 17, 1965 Donald E. Rudy INVENTOR.

Sept. 16, 1969 0. E. RADY TOY PLAYHOUSE WITH CHANGEABLB INSERTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 17, 1965 Detachable Insert Donald E Rady INVENTOR.

BY W

United States Patent 3,466,790 TOY PLAYHOUSE WITH CHANGEABLE INSERTS Donald E. Rady, 1801 Beatrice Drive, Orlando, Fia. 32810 Filed Sept. 17, 1965, Ser. No. 488,106 Int. Cl. A63h 33/16 US. Cl. 46-21 3 Ciaims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE A prefabricated playhouse having a bottom wall, end walls, a back wall, an open front, and a detachable top wall providing a roof unit. A horizontal partition is supported between the end walls and provides upper and lower stories. Complemental vertical partitions convert the interior into rooms for selective decoration. The surfaces of all walls and partitions are normally bare. Upper and lower strips of molding are rabbeted to provide keyways. The upper members constitute ceiling moldings and the lower strips constitute ba'seboards. The accessible keyways receive removable inserts or panels representing wallpaper and floor coverings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a portable prefabricated playhouse, alternatively, a doll house, the component parts of which can be successfully manufactured from sheet plastic material, lightweight, metal, sheet cardboard, wood panels or similar building materials, and which is preferably, but not necessarily, two stories high and is unobstructedly open at its front or rear (as the case may be) to permit the user to have ready access to its interior for such purposes as may be desired.

Briefly, the structure is characterized by an open side box-like enclosure mounted atop a flat self-standing base. The enclosure embodies a flat bottom wall superimposed on and fixed atop the base, and opposed vertical end walls uniformly paired and joined at like rearward edge portions by an intervening vertical back wall. A top wall i also provided but is bodily attachable and detachable and is such in construction that it performs the function of a gable-type or similar roof. The hollow interior is provided with interconnected horizontal and vertical partitions which are suitably Spaced and oriented relative to each other and the end and back walls to provide rectangular compartments which constitute and provide bare-surfaced rooms.

The room walls are interiorly equipped with simple means whereby paper sheets, plastic or equivalent panels or inserts can he slid through the open front into the compartments and removably applied to the horizontal and vertical interior surfaces to transform otherwise bare-surfaced compartments into rooms whose walls are then covered with make-believe wallpaper, and carpets or rugs colorfully decorated in many and varying ways at will.

Persons conversant with the art to which the concept relates are aware that it is common to provide an open front playhouse having a compartmented interior defining rooms for miniature furniture, dolls and toys. Quite frequently, the walls are permanently and decoratively covered for viewing and completeness. As a matter of fact, the broad idea of alterable and changeable room wall surfaces is not new. For example, the Merriman playhouse (Patent 2,114,886) teaches the provision of a box-like case or house-type enclosure wherein specially constructed insertable and removable panels are used in a manner to convert the normally bare interior wall surfaces into attractive surfaces simulating those of a ready-to-use room.

It follows that one objective in the instant matter has to 3,466,790 Patented Sept. 16, 1Q69 "ice do with a distinct and different approach which is deemed to be an advance in the art. To the ends desired, a plurality of selectively usable interchangeable panel-like inserts of paper, cardboard, plastic or the like are provided and so made (proportional in size and shape) that the user can cover and conceal not only the bare interior wall surfaces but also the bare exterior surfaces, whereby to transform the overall appearance of the house inside and outside to attain delightfully interesting and pleasing results, at will.

In carrying out the principles of the present inventive concept the internal dividers or partitionsare provided with cooperable strip members which are rabbeted lengthwise to provide open-ended grooves or channels for reception and retention of the marginal edge portions of the changeable inserts. These strip members are such in crosssection and adaptability that they serve as baseboards and ceiling molding and thus perform a dual purpose function;

namely as edge-trim for the border portions of the walls and grooved retainers for the inserts.

With respect to the changeable insert for the inside of the back wall a simple vertical opening in one end wall which is lined up with the normally bare interior surface permits a single insert or panel to be readily slipped into place by way of said opening. Then, too, the bodily applicable and removable top wall (the roof unit) is available as a means of access to the rooms.

More specifically, the normally bare exterior surface of all walls, including the roof, are marginally equipped with horizontal and vertical rails where needed and these rails are also grooved to define slideways or tracks which fittingly receive marginal edges of the exterior panels, the latter being suitably lithographed, painted or otherwise decorated so that the youngster or other user can cover the outside surfaces to simulate a brick house, colonial style or whatever appearance desired. By locating the rails where stripping boards and outside corner trim usually exist, a genuinely realistic effect can be achievd.

A collateral aspect of the concept is to promote interest, inspiration and incentive and to engender creativity such as invariably follows. In this connection, the purchaser gets at least one coloring book with pre-printed outlines for interior and exterior designs. Hence, the youngster can find endless enjoyment in creative accomplishment and attending educational activity by coloring the detachable leaves and then using them as inserts and slides. This book idea also provides suitable blanks (minus the guide lines and characters) to thus encourage the child to draw, paint and color-in according to his or her self-styled capabilities. According to plan, the special coloring and detachable leaf book (or books) will be provided with the initial urchase and by making books with variable subject matter available, endless enjoyment can be looked forward to. Moreover, permanent re-usable interior and exterior plastic panels can be provided. They can be outlined, with permanent ink if desired, hand-colored by a grease-type pencil the result of which can be erased and later re-colored. Manifestly, this toy house is not for girls only, it can be devised to serve for boys as a gas station, dairy barn, workshop and so on.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view, with a portion broken away, showing the fully covered and ready-to-use playhouse constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front view, that is, a view observing the open front of the structure and with certain of the component parts broken away and appearing in section;

FIGURE 3 is a view on a smaller scale showing the exterior of the closed side of the house or structure and which may be designated as a rear elevation;

FIGURE 4 is an end elevation looking at FIGURE 3 in a direction from left to right;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged view appearing in and elevation taken approximately on the plane vertical section line 5-5 of FIGURE 3 looking direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary horizontal section plane of the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary detailed section on the section line 7-7 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 10 is a detailed section on the section line 10-10 of FIGURE 5.

With reference to the description thus far given, as well as that which follows, it is to be pointed out that the terms front, rear, ends and so on are used in reference to the views as drawn. In actual practice, access to the interior can be from the so-called front, back or, for that matter, the ends or top, as the case may be.

The hollow enclosure providing the playhouse (or dollhouse) is made of plastic, cardboard or equivalent panels designated as walls. The horizontal bottom wall 12 (FIG. 2) is superimposed and mounted atop an underlying panel 14 constituting a suitable self-standing base. Looking at the front in FIG. 2, one vertical end wall corresponding in construction to the other wall is mounted perpendicularly and for convenience these walls, being identical, are denoted at 16 and have upper V-shaped end portions 18. The vertical back wall 20 spans the space between the coacting vertical edge portions of the two end walls 16 and is rectangular in elevation. The bottom, end and back walls are joined as a unit and provide an open top box-like enclosure which is covered by the top wall 22 which is fashioned into and forms an inverted V-shaped roof. The downwardly divergent portions of this roof are denoted at 24 and are provided on their underneath sides with triangulate webs or braces, the ones at the left and right being denoted at 25 and the central one at 26. The end webs or braces 25 are set slightly in from the terminal ends of the overall wall and in practice, that is when the roof is applied, they fit Within the confines of the respective inverted V-shaped portions 18 of the end walls as shown satisfactorily in FIG. 2.

The hollow interior is compart-mental in form with the compartments defining selectively usable individual rooms whose normally bare walls are to be decorated by the youngster or other user.

In carrying out the compartmental aspect it will be seen that the numeral 28 designates a horizontally disposed primary divider or partition with its transverse marginal edges joined to median interior surfaces of the end walls 16. In this position the partition 28 divides the interior into upper and lower floors, that is, upper and lower stories. Cooperating with the horizontal partition 28 are perpendicular ancillary dividers or partitions, the two lower ones of which are denoted at 30 and the two upper ones, which are lined up therewith denoted at 32. The marginal edge portions of these partitions 30 and 32 are suitably secured in place and it will be noted that the upper ends 34 (FIG. 2) of the partitions 32 are suitably shaped to accommodate the sloping component parts 24 of the aforementioned roof 22. With this cellular structure individual open front rooms are provided, there being six rooms in the adaptation illustrated in FIG. 2. It should be noted, too, that while the forward edge portion of the horizontal primary partition 28 extends forward and is flush with the vertical edges of the cooperating end walls 16. The vertical partitions 30 and 32 have their forward vertical edges set back slightly to facilitate handling of the applicable and removable inserts which will be touched upon later.

section of the in the on the It is to be properly pointed out here that the interior room walls are normally bare. Likewise, the exterior surfaces of the roof and other walls are also bare, this being a matter of significance and importance in that it centers around the idea of providing a plurality of selectively usable properly decorated, drawn or lithographed paper, cardboard or equivalent panels or inserts 42 to not only cover the interior room walls but the exterior surfaces of the overall house.

To the ends desired, a plurality of strip members 44 and 50 are provided for guiding and keying the inserts 42 in place. With respect now to the inserts it is to be pointed out that the largest one on the interior is the one which is denoted at 36 and covers the inside of the entire back wall 20. To facilitate handling this aspect, the structure is provided at one end with a vertically elongated opening 38, as shown in FIG. 4, the corresponding opposite end of the structure being closed. The opening 38, together with the spacing of the horizontal and vertical partitions 28, 30 and 32 from the back wall 20 form means for allowing insertion of a single insert or panel 36 which then covers the inside of the back wall. Thus, the insert panel 36 can be passed through the opening 38 to cover the interior of the back wall 20. This panel or insert 36 is changeable, and when inserted in the manner shown, it spans and covers the back wall 20 in both stories of the structure. One end portion of this insert 36 is allowed to project as denoted at 40 in FIG. 3. Getting back now to the holders for the smaller inserts it is to be pointed out first that these smaller inserts, which vary in nature are denoted generally by the numeral 42 and they are to be fitted against the interior room walls, floors and/ or other interior surfaces.

Each elongated interior strip member is the same in construction and a description of one will suffice for all, that is the style or form which is shown, for example, in FIG. 10. This is to say, each plastic (or equivalent material) strip member is generally rectangular in cross section and is denoted by the numeral 44 and has portions thereof rabbeted to define vertical grooves or channels 46 and horizontal grooves or channels 48 which slidably receive and key the edge portions of the inserts or panels 42 in place as is thought to be clearly evident in FIG. 10. It will be noticed that these strip members are oriented with certain of them in the lower story and others in the upper story and the grooves or channels are open at their outer ends to permit the inserts 42 to be lined up and readily applied and removed in a seemingly evident manner. Similar companion strip members are provided where necessary and preferably in the upper story as shown at 50 in FIG. 2. Here the strip members are provided with single grooves or keyways 52 for reception and retention of the edge portions of the inserts 42. By orienting and installing the grooved strip members 44 and 50 as shown, the ones at the juncture of the floor and walls provide baseboards or trim and the ones at the ceiling levels provide ceiling molding. This is a unique aspect of the concept as is obvious.

The same general theme applies to the attachable and detachable exterior surface covering inserts or panels. The difference is primarily in the cross-section and construction of the members which are used for assembling and keying the panels in place. Take, for example, the insert 54 (FIG. 5) for the exterior of the rear wall. This is suitably decorated as suggested. It is retained against the coacting surface of the rear wall 20' by strip members which for sake of distinction are referred to as rails. Note the horizontal bottom rail 56 and the two vertical rails 58, these having marginal communicating grooves providing 'slideways for reception and retention of the marginal edge portions of the vertically insertable and removable insert 54. This same idea is carried out with respect to the covering inserts for the end walls 16. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 the insert 60 is of a shape or outline shown and fits against the exterior surface of the wall 16 and the edges are held in place in the grooved rails 62. It is not always necessary to use rails inasmuch as it would be permissible, for example, at the foundation or bottom, to use simple retaining clips of angle shape as shown at 64. Both ends except fo rthe slot-like clearance opening 38 are the same in construction and FIGURE 4 will serve for both.

The covering insert for the sloping components 24 of the roof is denoted conveniently by the numeral 66. The end or edge portions are held in place by grooved rails 68. It may be desirable in addition to provide short grooved rails 70 (see FIGURE 2) for the edge portions which are fitted therein. Then, too, it is desirable to provide inverted V-shaped grooved members 72 at the upper apical ends of the extended end portions 18 of the end walls 16 to assist in positioning and holding the insert or paper cover in place. In other words, Wherever edges for bordering the margins of the inserts are necessary suitable grooved rails or equivalent members are provided and may be of one-piece construction as shown in FIG. 6 or they maybe individually mounted. It will be noted, too, that these rails constitute cornices and also serve as exterior trim insofar as the ornamental aspect is concerned.

It is believed that the reader will understand that normally the interior and exterior surfaces of the walls are bare and are equipped with facilities at border or marginal portions for keying and attaching inserts, panels or other covering sheets which function to achieve the appearance desired and in keeping with the ideas set forth in the introductory portion of the specification. The mode of applying and removing the sheets or panels is thought to be clear from the specification and views of the drawings.

It can be added that graphic arts provide many other applications of the inventive concept invoking changeable appearance results for interior and exterior panels or walls. It would be within the purview of the invention to employ the same in home decoration classes, art classes, architectural group work, classes studying home economics and so on. In fact, it can be seen that the idea relates itself properly to stage set models, for wallpaper and paint store advertisements, in fact for therapy classes for both adults and children. Many other aspects could be touched upon but it is thought that the disclosure given will sufiice to enable the reader to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the features and advantages and mode of use. Accordingly, a more extended description is deemed to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use by boys, girls, art students and others for display window advertising and other purposes, a playhouse structure comprising, in combination, a prefabricated box-like structure having a horizontal bottom wall, a pair of complemental vertical end wells having lower ends joined to coacting end portions of said bottom wall and rising perpendicularly in opposed parallel relation and having upper inverted V-shaped end portions, a vertical back wall disposed at right angles to and spanning the space between and cooperable with said end walls and having an upper edge terminating in a plane below said upper inverted V-shaped end portions, said structure having an open front, a bodily attachable and detachable top wall of inverted V-shaped form constituting a roof unit and having depending triangulate end webs opposed to and confronting and retentively cooperating with the respectively cooperable interior surfaces of said upper inverted V-shaped end portions and serving to locate said roof unit while permitting it to be bodily removed to permit access to be had to the interior of the structure, at least one space dividing horizontal partition elevated in spaced parallel relationship directly above said bottom wall and in a plane a predetermined distance below the upper V-shaped end portions of said end walls and having transverse marginal edges supported from interior surfaces of sard end walls and one longitudinal marginal edge proximal to but free of connection with the interior of said back wall and transforming the interior of said enclosure into upper and lower stories, vertical room defining partitions located in the lower story between the bottom wall and sard horizontal partition, and additional vertical room defining partitions located within the confines of the upper story above the plane of said horizontal dividing partitron, said horizontal and vertical partitions having rearward marginal edges free of connection with and spaced from said back Wall and defining individual open front rooms, means comprising an opening in one end of said structure and the spaces between each of said partitions and said back wall for inserting a panel to cover the interror surface of said back wall in both stories of said structure, strip means in each room comprising a plurality of paired upper and lower elongated horizontal strip members rectangular in cross-section and mounted adjacent cooperating surfaces of the coacting horizontal and vertical partitions, certain of said strip members providing baseboards for the room and others of the strip members providing ceiling trimming molding, certain of said strip members being elongated and having horizontal and vertical grooves, said grooves being open at their outer ends and accessible by way of the aforementioned open front, said grooves being adapted to permit edge portions of applicable and removable sheet-like inserts to be inserted and removably keyed in place in said grooves to provide changeable coverings for the floor, walls and ceiling of said room.

2. The playhouse structure defined in and according to claim 1 and wherein angle-type rails are provided on exterior marginal edges and corner portions of the end walls, back wall for placement and retention of exterior surface covering changeable inserts.

3. The structure defined in and according to claim 1 and wherein the end wall which is aligned with and is opposite to said one end wall is irnperforate and is accordingly closed in a manner to provide a limit stop, said limit stop being aligned with the aforementioned opening and serving as an abutment for an adjacent vertical edge of the wall covering panel when the wall covering panel is in its functioning position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 828,904 8/ 1906 Sonder. 1,429,871 9/ 1922 Hanson 4621 1,801,724 4/1931 Conklin. 2,118,338 5/1938 =Bolhuis 3516 2,223,409 12/1940 Dixon 3553 X 2,522,149 9/1950 Tunstall 3516 2,559,261 7/ 1951 Schwartz 3516 2,607,972 8/1952 Rust 46-21 X 3,269,034 8/ 1966 Glass et al 3553 FOREIGN PATENTS 477,325 9/1951 Canada.

711,511 6/ 193 1 France.

281,776 7/ 1952 Switzerland.

F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

